Hey, how’s it going? I’m Andy Jones and this is episode 82 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast.
This week I’ve been answering many listener's questions in the Facebook group and Messenger. If you have a problem and need help, ask away, I enjoy it.
Ok, this week’s episode is …
How to get great results using flash
In last week's episode, I mentioned the problem of overexposing highlights outdoors. Well, that is a problem if you shoot in the middle of the day. The simplest thing to do is shoot later in the day at golden hour, just before sunset.
It doesn’t need to be sunny for the highlights to be blown out. On overcast days when the sky is gray, the sky can be blown out and have zero detail.
So, why does this happen? Well if you are taking a portrait outdoors you are going to focus on the subject's eye. The camera then meters that area and makes sure that the face and body of the subject are exposed perfectly. But the extremes in the frame, like the light gray sky, will have no detail. The sky will be overexposed and blown out. If you reduced the amount of light coming into the camera by using a faster shutter speed, the sky would have more detail. When you do this the subject will be underexposed and that’s not what you want.
So in some situations like this one you can’t have the subject and sky both exposed perfectly. Like I said in the last episode, you can take two photos, one exposed for the sky and one for the subject, then blend them in photoshop or lightroom.
This is where a flash can make your life so much easier.
Let's start with the flash. I won’t be covering the off-camera flash equipment in this episode. If you want more info on it let me know and I’ll take you through it in the Facebook Group, or you can listen to episode #18 - On or Off-Camera Flash.
Ok, so I’m going to take you through setting up a basic Speedlight that you can put on your camera. If you have studio lights that can be used outside, don’t worry the setup is the same, apart from using them on camera of course.
If you are shooting a wedding or event the chances are that the flash will be mounted on your camera. Whenever possible like at a family or portrait shoot use the flash off-camera, you’ll be able to get more creative.
So with Speedlight flashes, you have two modes, TTL and Manual. TTL is “Through The Lens” metering. When you use this you are letting the camera decide on the amount of light used in the image. Now this works well in most situations but it might not give you the results you’re looking for.
The simplest way to go is manual mode. In manual, you can set the amount of light that the flash puts out when it flashes. The setting can be as low as 1/128, and all the way up to 1/1, full power.
The settings are: 1/128 - 1/64 - 1/32 - 1/16 - ⅛ - ¼ - ½ - 1/1 which is full power.
Each step is one stop of light, so ½ is twice the amount of light of ¼, and ⅛ is half the amount of light of ¼.
Now if these settings are either too much or too little light you can use flash compensation which allows you to fine-tune the light. But you can solve the problem faster by moving your light closer or pulling it back a little.
Ok, so you are in a local park with your subject sitting on a large rock overlooking a lake. You realize you need to use a flash to get a perfectly lit photo. These are the step you can take.
It’s really simple. Take some shots with the flash off, and keep increasing the shutter speed until the sky looks perfect, and the subject is under-exposed. Then turn the flash on, and adjust the power settings until the subject is correctly lit. Bingo!
Cars, Trucks, and Motorbikes
Now there are photographers that make lots of money from taking cool and moody photos of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. They’re the photos that look like they were taken down a dark alley and the bike or car is perfectly lit.
Well, now you can produce that type of image using the process I just went through. Now because the vehicles have shiny bodies, you do need to spend a little more time setting your lighting up to reduce reflections.
You might think you need multiple lights but you can get great results with only one light.
As long as the camera is on a tripod and it and the vehicle don’t move, you can take multiple photos with the flash in different positions. Then merge them together in Photoshop.
So let’s go through the setup
Real Estate
If you’re taking Real Estate photos, this will work inside the home. When you take a shot of say a kitchen and the view through the windows are blown out. Turn the flash off, and adjust the shutter speed until the view through the windows is detailed. Then turn the flash on and adjust the flash for the room.
Now you can use a flash, you can control and manipulate the light to create anything you want.
Learning this easy technique will get you more bookings and earn you more money because your photos will look professional.
Here is a tip if you shoot weddings and engagements. Take a photo of the couple at sunset. With the flash off, take some photos until you get the sunset perfect. Then turn the flash on and adjust until the couple is lit correctly. Then start shooting.
Now I know there isn’t a beautiful sunset every night, but if there is one, make sure you use it. The results can be breathtaking.
Ok, I think that’s enough waffle for this episode. I hope you found it useful. If you have any questions, you can get in touch through the Facebook group.
If you give this technique a try, please post the images in the group, I’d really like to see them.
Alright, I’ll be back next week. Talk to you soon, Bye.